Work to replace the 160-year-old bridge began after years of delays on April 23, but the weekend of May 26-28 saw the main part of the operation as the railway was closed between Guildford and Haslemere to allow the bridge itself to be installed.

Stuart Kistruck, director of route asset management for Network Rail, said: "I'd like to thank passengers for their patience over the bank holiday weekend as we installed a new £2 million road bridge near Guildford as part of our railway upgrade plan.

"There is never a good time to carry out work that affects services but we worked closely with our colleagues at South Western Railway to keep passengers moving throughout the weekend."

According to Godalming resident Jenny Barnes, the current bridge is only just wide enough for two lorries to pass each other, which she said sometimes leads to vehicles or the bridge being damaged.

A spokesman for SCC said in February: "We're facing severe financial pressure due to rising need for services like social care and falling government funding, and as such it would not be appropriate for us to fund expanding the bridge when only a small number of pedestrians use it."